Snake Baits: They've Been Around for a Long Time

In the early 1980s, big-bass expert, the late Doug Hannon, helped Burke Lures develop a snake lure that originally was called Snaketrix. Ultimately, it became known as The Snake (left).

Then, in the early 2000s, Mark Abernathy of St. Cloud, FL, was inspired by his daughter, Kalin, to develop a snake lure while the two of them were fishing from a concrete seawall on a canal leading to Lake Ajay.

"We had caught a couple of small bream," said the elder Abernathy. "Kalin has a short attention span and began wandering. I looked and on the concrete wall was a little black snake sunning itself," he continued. "I went and grabbed Kalin, then tweaked the snake with the fishing pole."

The snake slithered over the side into the water and began swimming across the canal. That's when Abernathy saw a wide mouth open out of nowhere and the snake disappeared, followed by a splash that sounded like a cement block hitting the water. At that instant, he decided he wanted to design the most realistic snake ever made. Moreover, he wanted one that would float when not moving.

Abernathy subsequently learned from a dentist friend, Dr. A. Jai Prakash, the perfect material to make the lure from...the same material that's used to make a set of false teeth. 

Describing the dental material as an elastomeric plastic, Abernathy said he knew he'd found the right stuff. He designed the molds and took prototypes to the world-renowned Hannon, who was impressed when the whole lure floated. However, he suggested several changes, including three-dimensional eyes. He also became a co-producer of the product.

After 14 months of trial-and-error testing, during which 11 bass weighing more than 10 pounds were caught while using the lure, it was ready. They showed it off at the fishing tackle manufacturers trade show and took it to the Bassmasters Classic in New Orleans.

The "Hannon Big Bass System" kit (above, right), as it was marketed, retailed for $39.95. Included were nine snakes in three colors, plus four vanadium 4/0 hooks, three specially-designed rattles, three yards of 25-pound test fluorocarbon leader, and a DVD by Hannon, giving some of his own fishing secrets for catching big bass.

That brings us to the latest version, which is called the Savage Gear 3D Snake Wakebait (left). It looks just like a snake swimming...a disgusting, creepy, bass-enticing little snake easing along the surface. Just simply reeling the bait at a slow and steady pace, the head of the lure rocks back and forth, creating a wake as the body of the snake wiggles along behind it, constantly drawing out an "S" shape in the water.

Intermittently pausing your reel allows the bait to walk a little wider, almost like working a topwater. You also can affect this action by twitching the rod tip a little. Completely stopping your reeling allows the head of the bait to swing out wide like a glide bait. It then coasts to a stop, while the remainder of the body, down to the tail, quivers to a halt as well.

The wakebait also has two line-tie points on the nose that will allow it to dive a little deeper. By moving the split ring up to the front eye, the bait retains the same action but 6 inches or so under the water, instead of on top.

A large plastic lip, similar to what you find on most wakebaits, is at the nose of this lure. What really sets it apart from other wakebaits, though, are the 11 total segments versus the two or three you find on most wakebaits.

With two super sharp treble hooks, this bait is ready to go out of the box. The hooks have a longer shank, helping them cover the most ground possible and eliminating the need for a third treble. Typically, the fish gets stuck by one of the hooks on the initial strike and, inevitably, the second hook penetrates as well while the bass is fighting.

Another cool feature to this bait that aids in keeping fish pinned are the rotating hook hangers. Savage Gear basically mounted swivels within the bait to use as hook hangers, so that when a fish does fight, twist and turn, the hook will spin and relieve some of the pressure on the point of contact. Most hook hangers on other baits are simple fixed rings, and if the fish can get the bait turned a certain way, then swing its head the other way as hard as possible, the weight and momentum of those baits often will tear the hooks loose.

The 3D Snake Wakebait comes in two sizes: an 8-inch version and a 12-inch version. The 8-inch version is listed as weighing an ounce but can be fished comfortably on a 7-foot medium-heavy baitcasting rod without feeling overpowered by the bait.

This wakebait is one of those diamond-in-the-rough lures that is fun to fish. Just watching the lure swim, with anticipation of a blowup, is exciting in and of itself. It reportedly has a great action, good hookup-to-strike ratio, and does a good job getting the fish to the boat once you set the hook.

At $20.99 for the 8-inch version and $25.99 for the 12-inch, the 3D Snake Wakebait is an investment for sure but not something that's going to break the bank, or a lure that you'll need 10 different versions of, like a lipless crankbait, for example.

As one angler aptly noted, "We all know that the good folks at Savage Gear are only one night of hard drinkin'/weed smokin' away from coming out with the 3D Suicide Manatee, but man, do their baits ever look cool!"

Maybe the only thing cooler would be to pull off something similar to what I read that a kayak fishing guide did. This dude caught a 10-pound largemouth in Texas' Brazos River on...get this...a stunned but nevertheless live rattlesnake! (above).